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The Great X of Kilmartin

Stone Row / Alignment

<b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by HobImage © J. Romilly Allen
Also known as:
  • Nether Largie Stones

Nearest Town:Lochgilphead (10km SSE)
OS Ref (GB):   NR828977 / Sheet: 55
Latitude:56° 7' 20.79" N
Longitude:   5° 29' 41.21" W



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Photographs:<b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by drewbhoy <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Howburn Digger <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Nucleus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tjj <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tjj <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by postman <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by postman <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by postman <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by postman <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by postman <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by GLADMAN <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by rockartwolf <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Kammer <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by rockartwolf <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by rockartwolf <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tumulus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tumulus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tumulus <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by greywether <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by greywether <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by greywether <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by greywether <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Piers Allison <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Kozmik_Ken <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Kozmik_Ken <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Kozmik_Ken <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by nickbrand <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by IronMan <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by IronMan <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by IronMan <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by IronMan <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by IronMan <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by hamish <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by hamish <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by hamish <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by hamish <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by winterjc <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by winterjc Maps / Plans / Diagrams:<b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by tjj <b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by Hob Artistic / Interpretive:<b>The Great X of Kilmartin</b>Posted by summerlands

Fieldnotes

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Plenty has been said about the tall standing stones, I took a wee bit more interest in the wee four poster or kerb cairn nearby and wondered if there had a been a standing stone set inside. One of the standing stones looks like it has a kerb surrounding it as well, perhaps there are hints of something at another.

Another mystery at Kilmartin, no real surprise.

Visited 04/04/2023.
drewbhoy Posted by drewbhoy
6th July 2023ce

Visited Sunday 21/5/17

It is difficult to talk about these stones without mentioning the Nether Largie South Cairn and Templewood Stone Circle as they are very close together and seem intrinsically connected to each other.

Drawing on the information on one of the excellent interpretation boards, this X-shaped monument consists of five tall standing stones and the stump of another (no longer visible) 300 metres to the west. A central standing stone with two others at some distance either side.
Three of the stones have rock art symbols on one side and had probably been prised from outcrops decorated about 1,500 years earlier. These decorated stones may have been erected approximately 3,200 years ago about the same time as those at Ballymeanoch.

Alexander Thom (controversial archaeo-astronomer) claimed this was one of the most important lunar observatories in Britain. Recent analysis supports the idea that the stones mark where the moon rises and sets at key points in its 18.6 year cycle. The standing stones also line up with the midwinter sunrise and autumn and spring equinoxes.
tjj Posted by tjj
7th June 2017ce

Visited 24.7.15

It was a lovely summer's evening. The low sun shone brightly over these wonderful stones. All was quiet except for birdsong and the occasional passing car in the distance. The stones had a decent covering of 'hairy lichen' and the angle of light showed the cup marks in all their glory. It is easy to take rock art for granted in Kilmartin Glen. Something we should never do of course. I hope the stones, their cup marks and secrets are with us for another couple of thousand years. I hope this glen is as beautiful then as it is now. If you have never been, make sure you visit this special place and allow as much time as possible to try to take it all in. Evening and morning visits are best as the place can get busy when the afternoon coaches arrive. Still, this place is big enough to accommodate us all - you can always find a quiet spot amongst these large and mysterious stones.
Posted by CARL
10th August 2015ce

August 2006

Went and had a look a few times this year, over the space of a week, but can't convince myself about the second ring I thought I'd seen previously, despite a number of different lighting conditions, both natural and artificial.

August 2005

Wheelchair/buggy access here is very good (as it is at most of the main Kilmartin sites). The dedicated parking space is only a few hundred metres away, the ground is fairly flat, with no big bumps, gates are sensible, and there is a nice even bridge over the stream.

It seems to get a bit busy though, even on weekdays, we hung about for an hour or so, and spotted at least 7 groups of other visitors, most of whom were in a bit of a hurry. It's quite fun to watch folk doing the circuit from here to Nether Largie south, via Temlpewood, it looked like quite a nice little walk. So we eventually got up and did the same.
It's a nice way to see these 3 sites, as it gives you the chance to see the X from a number of perspectives, but isn't strenuous in the least.

I got the idea into my head that there are two rings around one of the cups, but it could just be a trick of the light. There are't any double rings on any of the diagrams I've seen.
Hob Posted by Hob
29th September 2005ce
Edited 8th January 2007ce

New paths and fences have been put around this area this year. One result of which is that the outlying stone (between the X and Temple Wood and the Nether Largie South cairn) is in the same field as the main stone setting and so is more readily accessible than in the past. tumulus Posted by tumulus
14th October 2004ce

We went out on a walk with a local countryside ranger last week and he told us of an American woman who had asked to visit the 5 smaller stones in the field alone with him. When they got there she said that this site should never be excavated but she wouldn't tell him why. She was absolutely adamant about his and he said he sensed a fear in her - he was sure that whatever reasons she had for such a request where absloutely valid to her mind.

The sense was that the stones had been placed there to "contain" something - whether real or otherwordly, I really don't know but I had never really thought of this before. I can't remember whether this was explicit in what she said, or just suggested but it did make us stop and think - and come up with even more "what if"s and "why"s

(It certainly made for an interesting debate around a couple of bottles of wine later that evening....)

So, we sat there and wondered at what lies beneath and started to feel a sense of trepidation! The mind can play tricks on you in such a place.....in the end we decided to sit within the "circle", our backs to the 2 larger stones and felt a sort of calm fall over us.

Still would like to know what had spooked her so much, though!
Vicster Posted by Vicster
20th July 2004ce
Edited 20th July 2004ce

I hadn't planned a return visit to this site. I had simply stopped in the car park to phone home and have a bite to eat before the two hour drive back.

Then I noticed that there was no one at the site (perhaps not unusual at 8.30pm out of season) and, more importantly, the sun was probably in a good position to show up the carvings on the centre stone.

So in I went delaying my departure by about half an hour while I wandered about taking pictures in these near-perfect conditions.

Visited 25 June 2004
greywether Posted by greywether
28th June 2004ce

The Nether Largie stones (the Great X etc.) seem to be lined up with features of the landscape.
E.g:
Looking down the line of the 'X' (its a very narrow X, more like a straight line with an 'entrance' at each end - see http://www.kilmartin.org/kilmartin/sites/ss9.html
for a good view of it) from its southwestish end, it points at the small wood to the northeastish;
The big central stone of the X lies on a straight line between Templewood and another small wood on the opposite side. It is a thin, flat sided stone and the plane of it is on this line. (Where these woods there when the stone were erected?);
Also when you line this central stone up with the smaller stone that is standing on its own in what is now the next field to the northish it points at the highest visible hilltop peak.
The www.kilmartin.org site reckons it may have been used to track the sun and moon. Doesn't say how - but if so looks likes its relating them to local landscape. (Also/or related to geomancy?)
The landscape of the whole glen is really unusual. You particularly notice this if you go towards the sea. The glen is not only mostly very flat, its also mostly right at sea level. It looks and feels like its just been submerged and could be again at any moment. The glens stones etc. are all basically round the edge of a giant peat bog which according to my sources (a tourist brochure) would have been a bit bigger and maybe still partly submerged when the stones were erected. Go down towards the sea, especially in the late afternoon/evening and its a really eerie, quiet and strange landscape, which is maybe why the glen has so many ritual sites.
Posted by stiiv
16th February 2004ce

On the way up to Kilmartin I vowed not to get distracted and stop off, just get to the B&B and wait till Sunday to explore the sites... this place stopped me in my tracks! It still had me spellbound the next day - the central stone's carvings in clear definition. I sat waiting for the sun to move and bring new detail to the stone, a totally captivating experience. IronMan Posted by IronMan
17th December 2002ce

Links

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Nether Largie Cupmarks on BRAC Updated


There are 3 additional listings for Nether Largie in the Argyll and Bute Section.
Posted by markj99
9th January 2021ce
Edited 9th January 2021ce

Nether Largie Stones on BRAC


The Rock Art and a -now lost- 'moon-marking' stump, excavated in 1973 by Gerald S. Hawkins
rockartuk Posted by rockartuk
9th January 2007ce